


2. So Hot it Burns

by Tsuki_Amano



Series: 365 Stucky Shots [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: M/M, Pepper Spray, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes, bucky also needs to work on his flirting skills, bucky needs to lay off the coffee
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-04
Updated: 2015-08-04
Packaged: 2018-04-12 23:36:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4499088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tsuki_Amano/pseuds/Tsuki_Amano
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucky wasn’t exactly sure what counted as flirting and he knew he couldn’t find his way to a decent pick up line with a map, but he was pretty sure most relationships didn’t start with the words, “Please don’t sue me.”</p><p>Or the one where Bucky mistakes Steve for an attacker and pepper sprays him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	2. So Hot it Burns

**Author's Note:**

> This involves pre-serum steve but Bucky is still his winter soldier version with the prosthetic arm. This is from a meet-ugly list of prompts on tumblr, because really we're all massively awkward in real life.
> 
> Also if the minute amount of Spanish I used is wrong at the end I'm sorry.

Bucky wasn’t exactly sure what counted as flirting and he knew he couldn’t find his way to a decent pick up line with a map, but he was pretty sure most relationships didn’t start with the words, “Please don’t sue me.”

To be entirely fair, it wasn’t his fault. He was skittish after returning from the war and he didn’t take to surprises very well. He possibly should have been paying more attention to his surroundings, but there was no use crying over spilled milk was there?

Or in this case, forcefully ejected pepper spray.

Bucky liked to go for a run every morning. Sam from the VA had sworn that some form of routine exercise would be good for him and Bucky liked the calmness of early morning. He could usually run for a good hour without that prickling feeling of danger that he still associated with crowds of people.

But this morning things were different. He had got even less sleep than usual thanks to his neighbour’s damn cat that had decided that it needed to grace the apartment block with its ear-splitting mating calls ( _and if anything wanted to mate with that beast after that racket Bucky would shave his hair off_ ).

Already on edge, he was heading back home, lost in thought when he realized that someone was following him. Quick footsteps not in time with his own sounded loud on the pavement, whoever it was they were trying to catch up with him. Bucky forced himself to keep moving, heartbeat picking up when he realized that his stalker wasn’t calling out to him, but he could faintly make out the sound of heavy breathing. His general paranoia combined with the borderline comatose inducing amounts of caffeine in his system made his heart pound. Before he could even reconsider, his hand was gripping the pepper spray can he carried in his jacket pockets.

No one ever was out this early in the morning, especially on this route. This area was mostly college students, they tended to go to sleep at this time.

So when a deep voice called out, “Hey!” and someone lightly grabbed his sleeve, Bucky’s obvious course of action was to pepper spray the creep in the face before turning around completely and freezing.

Because his attacker was this tiny little guy who couldn’t have been more than 5’4’’ and had a map and was rubbing his watering, red eyes. And…

Did this constitute as assault? Bucky was pretty sure this counted as assault.

“Please don’t sue me.” He blurted out.

“I won’t, just, maybe put the pepper spray down?” he wheezed.

Bucky helped the boy ( _man, thank you very much I’m 25 and I’m just vertically challenged alright_?) sit up straight and if he hadn’t felt like a complete potato before, he definitely did when he watched the man ( _Steve_ ) pull out an inhaler and shakily try to steady his breathing.

He had pepper-sprayed an asthmatic, he was going to the lowest circle of hell.

It took about five minutes, but Steve was soon able to breathe without assistance. He waved away Bucky’s apologies and shrugged, “It’s ok, I startled you. Tell you what, I’m more than a little lost but if you help me figure out how to get to my new apartment, we can call it even.”

Squinting at the scrap of paper that was crumpled in Steve’s fist, Bucky grinned. He recognized the address, looks like Steve had got an apartment in the building Clint stayed in. He hoisted Steve’s duffel bag onto his shoulder ( _I almost killed you, can you please let me feel a little better about myself?_ ) and ushered Steve to the apartment. It’s too short of a walk to call a cab and Steve doesn’t seem to mind.

Normally, small talk makes Bucky want to hide, but he doesn’t mind carrying on a conversation with Steve. He’s an opinionated little shit and Bucky has this feeling he would have gotten beaten up a lot in high school but he’s refreshing somehow. He knows Steve saw the metal glint of his prosthetic arm while he was helping him breathe. But he doesn’t ask Bucky and he’s grateful.

Of course he also notices that Steve’s sort of hot. He’s scrawny sure, a strong gust of wind might blow him over and his mop of blond hair is mussed up by certain recent events. But when Bucky looks at how his blue eyes light up as he talks about his art, he knows he’s gone.

He’s completely suave about it though, doesn’t stumble over his words at all when he asks Steve out for a cup of coffee ( _So…um… would you like to coffee a cup?_ ) but luckily Steve thinks he’s adorable and enters his cell number onto Bucky’s phone with a promise to meet him the next day for coffee.

Bucky promises that he won’t pepper spray him this time.

When Clint finds out, he rolls off the couch laughing, because Jesus Barnes, who even manages to do stuff like this and wow this is such excellent blackmail material. If he swears he won’t tell Natasha will Bucky let him buy them cards that say _Muy Caliente_ on them for their first anniversary?

Bucky thinks he pepper sprayed the wrong person.


End file.
